Survey worth it for boats under 10k?

[dennismenace111]

Don't let all the negative Nellie's scare you away! I've bought boats on eBay. Most recently a 30 foiter for alot less than $10k and have yet to get burned. Take someone with you who knows sailboats. Take your time and do a methodical inspection of everything! If the engine starts easily and runs smoothly, shifts gears forward and reverse. Put the sails up. All of them! Walk the deck looking for sagging spots or creaking cracking sounds. Look for leaks in the cabin and look for water damaged wood!

My insurance didn't require a survey . My biggest expense has been that my boat needed a bottom job!

[Fore and Aft]

Comparing a car to a yacht is a bit of a mistake. You can dispose of a car for free here in Australia. It could end up costing you to dispose of a yacht that has issues you had no idea about. I think a survey is money well spent if it is the first yacht you have ever purchased.
Cheers

[sail sfbay]

Great question!! All valid posts above..........I would emphasis:

1. Depends on what your insurance carrier requires.

2. Depends on your risk tolerance in the event the structure, rigging, sails and mechanical and electrical systems, etc. fails

3. Depends on whether the boat will meet your local safety regulations, e.g., USCG inspection.

4. 10% of the boat price is not a measure of the survey cost. I have purchased power and sailboats for $20,000 and more than a magnitude higher than $10,000 and the survey cost was the same, i.e., ~$1200.

[NorthernMac]

Yes.

Unless you are going to throw the boat away, I’d want the survey done

Got mine for like 700 on my 33’

Didn’t pay a whole lot for the boat, but I was planning on putting a good chunk of change into it.

[mvweebles]

Rather than percent of purchase, would base decision on complexity of the boat. A simple boat like a Catalina 30 or similar is pretty straightforward. You may have specific questions like condition of rigging or engine, but for simple boats, a Surveyor brings little value to a reasonably knowledgeable owner.

Much really depends on your ability, knowledge, and comfort level in evaluating condition. It costs the same to make a specific repair on a $10k boat as a $100k boat. A Surveyor may be money well spent to assist in making a decision on costs.

[NorthernMac]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Comparing a car to a yacht is a bit of a mistake. You can dispose of a car for free here in Australia. It could end up costing you to dispose of a yacht that has issues you had no idea about. I think a survey is money well spent if it is the first yacht you have ever purchased.
Cheers

Lol, what??

The last thing on my mind was how to throw my boat away, that’s some poor person stuff.

I’m already concerned about maybe being slightly upside down on my boat, normally I sell boats or cars I buy for a small profit.

Tossing them in the trash after

My survey, dude was pretty good, his only miss was he said there was a small blister on the hull, however it turned out there were none when I did the bottom job, worst miss was he didn’t inspect some stuff as deep as I would have liked, but the only surprise I had was a good one.

[Noisykate]

Yes, get a survey.
A good survey will list jobs you didnt know existed, and in all probability you will recover the cost of it in a reduced purchase price.
Our survey (on a slightly pricier boat, admittedly - x5) cost us about £800 and saved us £15k on the purchase price.

[Greg K]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a survey. But it depends on your experience and knowledge, and whether you need one for insurance purposes as others have noted.
From my own experience, generally I have a very poor opinion of surveyors and would not hire one unless needed for insurance purposes. Pretty well anybody can call themselves a surveyor, and the skill and competence varies greatly, as does their integrity. As things are, the profession is too lightly regulated, and surveyors too often hide behind liability exemption clauses when they miss the obvious or get it totally wrong.

[friz]

Originally Posted by Greg Mason

Barnakiel and Dogscout have it right, unless this boat is on a trailer and not in a marina.

What about being a transient at a marina?

[Kd9truck]

All knowledge is situational
Is it a Diesel engine, are you a diesel Mechanic? I would spend the money.
Get a sailboat surveyor with lots of experience, go with the surveyor, ask lots of questions. You may find things that you are willing to accept about the vessel that will help drive the price down, even if it’s just to recoup the surveyors fee.
My first vessel was a honey inside and out, everything looked Bristol, no need for a surveyor right? The first Winter season after the haul out I noticed the faintest and most complex field of spider crazing of cracks in the hull on both sides of the vessel at its widest points from years of improper haul outs.
When I sold the vessel several potential buyers walked away, I would have as well. The buyer was looking for a good looking weekend condo with day sailing as perks on inland and costal waters
The vessel I now own I sprung for the surveyor, it helped me knock the price down and that is where I started my List of work to be done, not his report my own separate list. I brought it to the negotiating meeting. I saved money and got feedback from the owner that would have died with him. Vessel history is verry useful.

[Fore and Aft]

I was not joking about throwing the boat away NorthernMac. I often get called in to survey someone’s new treasure that got purchased without a survey. First I get the new owner to find out if the boat has an insurance so it can be slipped. Then when I do the survey I am usually fairly blunt and tell them all the issues that need fixing. Often the repair bill is worth more than the boat. If you find a good surveyor he might cast his eye quickly over a boat and tell you yes or no straight away. The last guy I did that for gave me a 5kg box of prawns.
Right now I regularly motor past a yacht that sold for $4000, no survey and the buyer had no idea what he was in for. The yacht drags its anchor all over the bay and eventually these guys below will end up picking her up I bet.
Cheers
https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/About-us/...-war-on-wrecks

[valhalla360]

Survey usually doesn't include the engine anyway.

We've bought three 30+ft boats. Every time the surveyor found issues, I wouldn't have.

It's very easy to wind up spending triple what you paid for an old fixer upper boat...only to never have it touch water...and in the $10k range, that's a good possibility.

Also as someone else mentioned, if you give up, there is still the disposal costs which can add a few thousand.

[smacksman]

For a sailboat under $10K you wouldn't be looking for 'all risks' insurance anyway as replacing 10+ year old standing rigging will cost you thousands. So find an insurance company that will give you basic, third party cover enough for marinas will do. Even if rules have changed since I did it, an 'insurance only' survey costs a lot less than a full survey. For $350 you get a chit that tells the insurance company that there is in fact a hull with an ID number attached and there is no good reason it will not float!

[Poche]

I bought a $5,000 boat without survey and had an in-water survey done for insurance that the marina requires for about half.
I was ready to dump it if the diesel had problems which it does not.
I was ready to dump it if repair expenses exceeded $5,000 more, they have not.
None of the work has been done by professionals so it's been relatively inexpensive. There's always the slip rent with any boat.
It's been a great project but not for a novice. I used the money for the full survey to good use.
You have to be prepared to give the boat away or crush it. A surveyor can miss things nobody is infallible and they have a disclaimer in every survey that there are areas unable to be reached.
For boats needing financing, different story.

[Giro]

We all want to reduce our costs and to save money. However, please consider those sailors who are paying for at least liability insurance! The fact is that owning a sailboat can be very expensive. Please consider the other boats sharing the same waters that you will be experiencing. There is never a good reason to ignore the insurance issue. It’s as real and necessary as marine horns or running lights. Good luck in finding your sailboat!